In 2011, the oldest Baby Boomers turn 65 —the age when Alzheimer’s disease starts to rise. Thus begins an 18 year process when every 7 seconds another American turns 65— 12,342 people daily ending in 2029 when half of those remaining will be impacted by Alzheimer’s disease. To bring a sense of urgency to the real risks facing the 78 million Boomers – and to our economy, the Alzheimer’s Association released a groundbreaking study called Generation Alzheimer’s: The Defining Disease of the Baby Boomers. The good news is that death rates for many major diseases – HIV, stroke, heart disease, prostate cancer, and breast cancer – are declining. Unfortunately, that can’t be said about Alzheimer’s.
The reason, argues this well documented report, is that massive research investments in the National Institutes of Health (NIH) are paying off in lives saved. Each year, NIH invests over $6 billion on cancer, $4 billion on heart and cardiovascular disease and $3 billion on HIV/AIDS research — but only $480 million on Alzheimer’s and other dementia research as Alzheimer’s disease deaths soar.
The report makes a convincing case for increased investment in Alzheimer’s research now. For example, a person with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) costs Medicare three times more – and Medicaid nine times more – than someone without Alzheimer’s. Also, for every $100 invested in AD research, Medicare spends over $25,000 for AD care. Another point is that research for drug and other prevention interventions, like educating the public about ways to maintain memory fitness, that delay AD onset by just five years would cut Medicare AD spending by 45 percent.
Overall, America spends $172 billion for AD care annually. With the aging of the Boomers, costs will reach over $1 trillion in 2050. Curing Alzheimer’s is crucial to saving Medicare and Medicaid, not to mention millions of lives and the quality of life of their families.
Alzheimer’s is the only disease in the top 10 causes of death in America without a way to prevent it, cure it or slow its progression. This is why the Alzheimer’s Association – the leading voluntary health organization in Alzheimer care, support and research – argues so vigorously for “significantly increasing AD research budgets at NIH now”….to levels comparable to cancer, cardiovascular and heart disease.
Generation Alzheimer’s is designed to help insure the public understands what can be done to conquer this devastating disease. In addition to improving your cognitive health literacy and taking steps to optimize your memory fitness – by incorporating the latest scientific methods from neuroscience incluing neuroplasticity and epigenetics – to reduce your own risks of age-related memory loss, you can support aggressive Alzheimer’s disease research for a cure.
MemoryZine suggests that you read the Alzheimer’s Association groundbreaking study Generation Alzheimer’s and let your congressional representatives (easily identified by zip code) know how you feel about NIH research budgets for this vital issue today.
